RECENTDISCUSSION

CATEGORYDISCOVERIES

A dwarf puffer fish of the genus Carinotetraodon has been discovered in the hill stream plains of the Western Ghats mountains, Maharashtra state, India, by long-term SF contributor Shankar Balasubramanian and the team from Fishplore.

Flourescent fishes have been around for a number of years now although all the ones known to date, such as the infamous ‘Glofish’, have been genetically-modified in order to produce flourescence. The proteins used to produce these glowing creatures have previously been extracted from microbes, jellyfishes and corals, in which they occur naturally, and have […]

New research published in the journal ‘Scientific Reports’ demonstrates the extraordinary bite force of modern day piranhas plus the extinct giant Miocene piranha, Megapiranha paranensis. Pirhanas are included in the family Serrasalmidae which has three main evolutionary lineages, the carnivorous piranha-clade, the omnivorous Myleus-clade, and the herbivorous pacu-clade. Their teeth and dentition demonstrate a strong functional adaptation […]

Fish modulate water jet dynamics to increase impact on prey Archer fish knock their insect prey out of overhanging vegetation with a jet of water several times more powerful than the fish’s muscles. New research now shows that the fish generate this power externally using water dynamics rather than with any specialized internal organs.

A new species of Gambusia has several interesting – “and perhaps cringe-inducing” – characteristics, including a series of four hooks on the male genitalia, said North Carolina State University this week.